into the sky like a cloud
by serenacampbells
Summary: fluffy one shots, mainly canon-compliant, one for each episode, feedback if appreciated x
1. Pilot

**[This is sort of AU but it fits, most of them won't be though]**

"Babe, did you put my Padres shirt in the wash?" Stef called softly from the utility, poking her head around the door to catch sight of her partner, changing her shirt.

Lena lifted her eyes to meet Stef's with a vacant look for a moment before shaking her head.

"I didn't get a chance to do it yet, what with getting that call from Bill as soon as I left work," Lena replied, pushing her curls up atop her head and wrapping an elastic snugly around them. "I haven't had a chance to look at her file yet, David gave it to me when I picked Callie up but I haven't read further than the cover."

Stef grabbed the washing basket and carried it to the bottom of the bed, dropping it there before settling at the end of the bed and resting her head against Lena's shoulder. The brunette had the thick wad of paper, encased in a cardboard sleeve, on her lap with one hand holding it there.

Reaching over to take it from her, Stef flipped it open to the first page and skimmed over the basic information before pausing under the Family heading.

 _One brother – Jude Jacob, born November 2000. Kept together in placements until Callie's conviction._

"You didn't mention she had a brother, did Bill say anything to you?" Stef questioned, furrowing her brow.

Blinking herself out of her daydream, Lena shifted upright and glanced down at the page, reading the words that Stef just had. Callie's distress on her release, her reserved nature in the house since then; it all made a little more sense now.

"He didn't say anything to me, no. Shall we go and ask her about it? I mean, if they were close before, we don't know what she'll do to get back to him. She was asking David about him at juvy earlier," she explained curiously.

"We'll ask her tomorrow, love. She's probably asleep by now, as should we be. We'll call Bill and sort out a meeting with him. Let's get some rest first," the blonde continued as she flicked through the pages. "This is their sixth placement in as many years, we really need to figure out what's gone on with this girl. They've been removed from two of these homes by CPS…reports of abuse. Okay, maybe we should confront this now."

Closing the folder, Stef placed it on the bed beside her before standing up and offering Lena her hand. The two made their way downstairs, prepared to be faced with a little aggression from their new ward, and found Callie sitting on the makeshift bed they had constructed in the kitchen and staring out of the window.

"Hey Callie," Lena greeted calmly as they entered the room, causing the young girl's head to turn so fast that it was audible. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you. We just wanted to have a little chat with you."

Callie pulled her knees up to her chest defensively and remained silent, though this was as much invitation as they were going to get right now. The two women approached and sat at the edge of the couch, leaving as much distance as they could.

"We were looking through your file and we saw that you have a little brother, you two normally stick together in your homes, huh?" Stef continued softly with a weak smile. "Do you know where he might be staying, hon'?"

It was clear in her face that Callie felt conflicted about trusting the two women, about talking to them about this when she had intended to deal with it herself. But the softness of Lena's expression, and the way that Stef kept her eyes on Callie with a genuine concern, made her feel as safe as she had felt in years.

"I…uh, I guess he's still with our last foster father. Normally they keep us together so I don't think they would have found him a new placement while I was in juvy. I was… planning to ask Bill when he comes over to talk to you guys about my file or whatever," her words fell out of her mouth almost apologetically and left Stef feeling worried for her.

Stef was a cop, she knew how to tell when people were lying and she could feel that Callie wasn't being entirely honest with them, but forcing the issue would only drive the girl further away and that wasn't something they could afford to risk. They knew where Jude was, that meant that they could put the two of them in contact.

"Okay, well, we will call Bill in the morning and ask him how to get you two in contact then shall we? We'll sort this out, Callie, you don't have to worry about this. Try and get some shut eye," Lena finished as the two women stood up and she padded across the kitchen floor to return the landline to its charging cradle.

"Goodnight," Stef offered as she stepped out of the room, met with a hum of acknowledgement from Callie.

Lena flicked off the light on her way out into the hallway, a shadow of a smile on her face in the knowledge that she could help this girl in some way. She followed her partner up the stairs with the intention of sorting the washing before the pair of them turned in for the night.

Meanwhile, Callie had taken the phone and was calling the Pearson residence and praying that Jude was the one to answer. The sound of his voice on the other end of the phone ensured her that she needed to get to him fast, that she couldn't wait for formalities and court orders before she could get to her little brother and protect him.

"I'm going to come and get you, Jude. As soon as I can get away, you just have to hang in there, buddy." Callie promised.

 **[Basically carries on into canon except Jude never calls Brandon's phone the second time, everything else would take place exactly the same as normal.]**


	2. Consequently

"Jesus, why did you have to involve yourself?" Mariana questioned sharply as she rushed into her brother's bedroom and shut the door behind her. "I was about to tell them and you just-"

"You're still my little sister, Mari. As pissed off as I am right now, I would rather take the fall for you because we both know that if Moms found out the real reason, you'd be in a whole lot more trouble than I am."

She dropped down onto his bed and leant her head against his shoulder with a huff.

"This is all going to blow up in our faces, isn't it. Moms always find out our secrets in the end, no matter how good we get at lying. I don't want us both to get in trouble…there's no point in that," Mariana grumbled.

Rolling his eyes, Jesus wrapped his arm around his sister's shoulders and held her for a quiet moment. The two weren't as close since they had come to the Fosters; they had other people to talk to now and they weren't entirely dependent on each other like they used to be. But still, when it came to blows, Jesus would do anything to keep his sister safe.

"We'll figure it out. Don't worry. You know that you'll only get anxious and give it up to Mama if you think about it too much."

The younger of the two, though it was a matter of minutes rather than hours, swiped away a tear that had fallen to her cheek and sniffled.

"I know I've said it already today, but I'm so sorry you got dragged into this, Jesus."

"Don't think this gets you off the hook. I am still annoyed at you for the rest of eternity, and I am still going to make you do all my washing and tidying for the next month. But I love you, and sure, you're acting like an idiot at the moment and I might get really annoyed and yell at you sometimes, but you're always gonna be my little sister."

It was clear that Jesus wasn't going to let Mariana get off easily, but she wouldn't have let herself anyway. Every time she looked at her brother, she thought about going downstairs and telling her Moms that he'd covered for her. He'd spent long enough protecting her, but she was too scared for herself to be that chivalrous.

It wasn't like Callie – she'd heard her Moms talking to the new girl about the way she'd been treated in her old homes and she wasn't going to pretend that she'd ever experienced anything like that – but that made the kind of punishment her parents doled out even more scary to her. Feeling like she'd disappointed her Moms was one of the worst feelings she'd experienced in her whole life, and the thought of seeing that look in their faces was enough to keep her quiet.

"You know, Moms are gonna realise something's wrong if we keep having private conversations. Mama will put two and two together as soon as she realises that you might have something to do with this."

Mariana nodded, reluctantly standing up and offering her brother an apologetic smile before she made for the door. She couldn't help but wonder when she was going to start feeling better about this, if she ever was.

Crossing the landing into her bedroom, Callie was sat on the new bed that sat under the window with her school work laid out in front of her. Mariana knew that Callie didn't like her, and that she didn't trust her, but she also knew that nobody was going to believe the new ex-con in the house over her. She'd said herself that no-one would've believed her if she'd told Stef and Lena the truth, and Mariana knew it was the truth.

"Hey girls, lights out soon, okay?" Stef walked into the room with a warm smile on her face and Mariana couldn't help the sharp intake of breath. "Sorry, sweets, didn't mean to frighten you."

The blonde dropped onto the bed and wrapped her daughter in a hug, pressing a kiss against her temple and Mariana was fighting not to tense up against her. It was difficult to have her Moms be so normal with her, when her brain was constantly reminding her how mad they would be if they found out.

Mariana uttered a soft 'I love you' as her Mom crossed toward Callie and rubbed the girl's shoulder calmly. Contact wasn't normal between them yet, it was pretty clear that Callie wouldn't accept a hug from anyone except Jude at this point but her Moms seemed okay with it.

"Goodnight," Callie offered as Stef left the room and the brunette dropped her school books into her backpack before turning onto her side and switching off her bedside lamp.

As she laid in the dark, Mariana forced herself to think of something other than the pills but her mind wouldn't let her. She was too busy trying to figure out how on Earth she was supposed to make this up to her brother, as well as how she was going to keep this a secret for the rest of eternity. She dwelled on it, staring at the back of her eyelids until eventually sleep gave her refuge from her own thoughts.

But even in her dreams, she couldn't get away from her own words; _Moms always find out our secrets in the end._


	3. Hostile Acts

"Jude, do you want me to check your assignment for you?" Callie offered as the credits ran on the movie and everyone started to disperse from the room. "I have a quiz to study for so I need it now if you do."

"If you've got your own work to do, Callie, I can check it over," Lena offered warmly, smiling at the pair of them in the knowledge that they were beginning to feel safe in the house. "Why don't you go and study, honey?"

Callie reluctantly stood up and left the room, ruffling Jude's hair as she passed him.

It was clear that Jude wasn't as cautious as Callie was, he hadn't needed to be because he had protection in a form that she didn't. Without hesitation, he crossed over to the couch and handed his work over to his foster mother.

"So, buddy, how are you liking Anchor Beach?" Lena asked casually as she started to read over his work, running down the lines with the end of her pen.

"It's really nice there. It's definitely the best school we've ever been to, Mom couldn't afford to get Callie into a good school and foster parents just put you in whichever public school is closest." Jude spoke so matter-of-factly about what they'd been through, as though he didn't realise all that was wrong with it.

It was hard for Lena to accept that this was what he considered normal, he couldn't remember anything from before the system clearly so it was he was used to. As she read over his words, she realised that this was probably the first time he'd ever had an adult willing to check his homework for him.

"Well, bud, I'm glad you're feeling happy about it. This is really good, Jude, there's a couple of spelling mistakes but I've marked them out for you so that you can fix them. Well done, little guy."

Jude seemed proud of his work, the shy smile on his lips gave away how happy he was to hear Lena's praise. Callie had always told him to be wary of foster parents, but the Fosters were different and she'd made sure he understood that in case she had to go away again.

"I…um," Jude began before picking up his workbook and heading for the door.

"What is it, bud?" Lena's enquiry was filled with concern, she wasn't used to kids being afraid to talk to her. At school, maybe, but in her own home, Stef was definitely the Mom that people were a little shy around though she hastened to admit it.

"It doesn't matter, I'll ask Callie," The boy replied with a confident smile that seemed slightly forced.

Lena stood up, holding the boy's gaze so that he wasn't able to leave the room until she was finished talking to him. She approached him slowly, knowing that swift movements could be a little risky. It broke her heart to know what these kids had been through, it made her want to keep them safe for the rest of their lives.

It felt a little ironic in her mind; with the twins, she'd been so reluctant to adopt them in the beginning, but here she was, after knowing these kids for only a week and already imagining them being in her life forever while Stef was cautious as ever.

"Callie only just got to start on her work, why don't I help instead?" Lena offered gently, leaving plenty of room for him to say no if he wanted to. "She needs time to focus on school too, y'know bud."

Jude dropped his eyes momentarily, biting his lip as he considered, in his mind, his options.

"There's a math quiz on Monday afternoon," Jude admitted resolutely.

Lena couldn't help the way her heart cracked at hearing Jude's fearful confession. After marking his admissions test only hours earlier, she knew that he was going to need help if he wanted to get a good grade, not that she would ever tell anyone about how close he had come to failure.

"Why don't you go grab your book and we'll work on it for a little while before bed? There's no need to worry, Jude, we've got the whole weekend to figure it out, okay?"

The two worked on some questions out of the textbook for almost an hour before Stef came downstairs to check on the pair of them and made Lena aware of the time. It was almost 11 which was supposed to be lights out, so she told the boy to head upstairs and that they'd be in to say goodnight in a few minutes.

Lena followed Stef upstairs, changing into her pyjamas before going to the girls' room, pausing outside the door.

"Come to me, next time, okay? I know they seem nice, and I'm sure they are, but we can't keep asking things of them or we're gonna get sent away and I don't know how many more homes Bill's going to find that'll take two teenagers. Okay, bud?" Lena could hear Callie through the slightly-ajar door, talking to her brother. "Hey, look, it's okay. She didn't seem mad, right? So it's fine. Just ask me next time, okay?"

She heard sniffles approaching the door and swiftly knocked on it before poking her head around, aware that earwigging wasn't going to get her on Callie's good side. Jude was red-faced but enough that it could go unacknowledged for tonight.

"Hey mister, bed, I think," Lena suggested light heartedly, ruffling the boy's hair before planting a kiss on top of his head.

Jude scuttled out of the room quickly, leaving Callie and Lena alone with Mariana still messing around in the bathroom with more products that Lena thought it possible to own.

"Miss Thang, hurry up if you want a hug!" Lena called, loud enough to be heard through the bathroom door. "Night, sweetheart,"

Lena approached Callie's bed and rubbed up and down the teen's back soothingly, surprised when the girl leant into the hug and rested her head against Lena's hip for just a moment before shifting to lay down in her bed and reaching for the switch on her lamp.

As the bathroom door opened, Lena turned and kissed her daughter goodnight before heading over to the boys' room where she found Jude already wrapped up in his comforter. _These kids aren't going anywhere,_ she thought.


	4. Quinceanera

Dana had come straight to the house from the airport in the hopes of spending as much time with her grandchildren as possible. She had spent the afternoon listening to Mariana talk about every intricate detail of her party before heading downstairs to find Jesus playing video games in the living room.

"Hello there, birthday boy!" Dana greeted as she entered the room, pleased to see her grandson pause his game and rise to hug her. "I'm happy to finally see you, you've been out all afternoon!"

"Yeah, sorry Gram'! I was at practice and then I decided to walk home rather than drag Brandon out all over again," Jesus offered as he dropped back onto the chair and Dana sat down beside him. "How was your flight? How's Berkeley?"

"I wouldn't know, I've been up at Yale doing a series of lectures for the past month. This is the first chance I've had to come back to California in quite a while," Dana continued, smiling warmly at the sight of her ever-growing grandson. "How have things been here? You've got a roommate now, how does that feel?"

"Fine, Jude's a good kid and I don't mind giving up a bit of room for him to have a proper place to stay for a while. I mean, I definitely miss having space to breathe and time to get ready in the morning, but it's not like it's anything worth complaining about," Jesus reasoned as he fiddled idly with the controller in his hands. "If Brandon had complained about me and Mariana then we never would've found a real home."

As the words left his mouth, Jesus dropped his eyes down to his hands awkwardly, knowing that the family got tense whenever he or Mariana mentioned feeling unwanted or unstable in the house.

"He never would've done that, because you are family and he knew that from day one, just as I did," Dana reminded gently. "You're being a real sport about letting Mariana have this big party, are you sure you're alright with her having the big day all to herself?"

"She deserves it, and I don't really care about a big party because I don't care about popularity as much as she does. She only wants this big party so that everyone is talking about it for weeks."

Dana saw the curl of her grandson's lip as he said his sister deserved it, almost suggesting that he thought she might not. Nevertheless, she had vowed not to get involved in the affairs of the family this trip and to simply use it as an excuse to spend time with them.

"So, how about you give your Gram a chance to beat you at this, huh?"

Jesus scoffed at the thought of his grandmother playing Forza, but handed her the spare controller and started to talk her through the game.

They played for about half an hour, and Jesus was winning 6 races to 4, when Jude came bounding into the living room. He stopped still at the sight of Jesus and Dana, playing on the Xbox together and smiled warmly before turning to leave.

"Jude!" Jesus called before the boy could get out of earshot, seeing the preteen poke his head around the door again curiously. "I need to go grab a snack. Can you take over for me for a few minutes? I can't lose to Gram, I mean…she's old."

Dana laughed before elbowing him playfully in the ribs. She didn't even blink as Jude hurried over to take the control from Jesus and take his seat.

"So, you and Callie have been here for a few weeks now?" Dana began, eyes still focused on the TV as she spoke. "How are you two finding that? It's a change to live in a family this big, I'll bet."

Jude took a moment to reply, eyes narrowed as he veered around a tight corner and was careful not to crash.

"It's nice. Stef and Lena have been really kind to both of us, and it's cool to go to such a good school as well. Jesus has been really cool about me staying in his room too, so yeah, it's nicer than anywhere we've been before."

"Yes, my daughter told me about your last placement. It sounded rather nasty if you ask me, but I'm glad that you're somewhere safe now, and Callie seems to be a brilliant sister," Dana speculated as they finished the race, Jude just a few seconds ahead of her.

"She really is, the best!" Jude exclaimed warmly as he shifted to tuck his feet underneath him and picked a new track without thinking twice. As Dana looked at the young boy, she saw her daughter in him and she wondered just how the two weren't actually related.

Jesus turned the corner, careful to stay out of Jude's line of sight though Dana saw him, he pointed upstairs with a smile on his face before hurrying off. Dana truly couldn't comprehend the generosity of her middle grandchild, he was a kind soul and she was in awe of the children that her daughter had helped to raise.

"Okay, one more, then I need to go start on dinner or my daughter will start cooking some dreadful pasta dish she got from a magazine!" Dana joked to the younger boy, nudging him with her arm so she could pass him and win the race in the last stretch.

This was the family her daughter had built, and she couldn't help but feel a little bit proud.


	5. The Morning After

Dinner was over and the kids had gone off to their respective hiding places in an attempt to avoid the responsibility of tidying up. Lena and Stef were in the kitchen when Brandon walked in with an anxious look in his eye.

"Everything okay, B?" Stef questioned as she wiped the table clean.

"Are you and Mama separating?" Brandon questioned bluntly, causing both his Moms to turn around and face him in shock.

"What are you talking about, Brandon? Where's this come from?" Lena asked worriedly, putting down the glass she had been washing out and drying her hands on her jeans as she approached their eldest son.

"Well Jude mentioned it to Mariana and then Mariana came to ask me and I'm sure it's probably nothing but apparently you were talking about how you don't have time for each other and how having five kids in the house means that everything's getting too difficult to maintain or something, I don't know. I just thought that as the oldest, it was my responsibility to ask so that Mariana doesn't bring it up at the dinner table."

Stef looked a little shell shocked at first though she calmly approached her son and took his hand in hers.

"Mari, get out here," she called as her daughter tumbled down the stairs where she had been hiding. "Mama and I are not separating."

"I don't know what Jude thought he heard, but we were talking about Jenna and Kelly because they're having trouble. We just had a conversation because we realised that we don't find the time for each other as much anymore. You guys don't need to worry about this, Mom is stuck with me, alright?" Lena explained warmly, seeing the fear that had filled Mariana's eyes.

"I'm sorry you guys were worrying about this, but really, there's nothing going on," Stef reassured as she kept a tight hold of her son's hand. "Come on, let's have a proper family chat about this, shall we?"

The four of them headed into the living room where they settled on the sofa, calling down the rest of the family to join them. Squeezing onto the chairs, Lena opened the conversation by asking Jude what he had heard.

"I swear, I only asked Mariana because I didn't know we weren't supposed to talk about. It wasn't my business and I should've stayed quiet!" Jude admitted as he curled into Callie's side in embarrassment. "I didn't mean to cause any trouble."

"Jude, you can always come and ask us about these things. We know much stability matters to you, and you have every right to ask us something if you're worried. But you don't need to be, okay? None of you do because me and Mom are completely fine."

Callie was holding Jude's hand and Jesus was holding Mariana's, neither woman could believe their kids had been so quick to believe that they were having issues. Admittedly things hadn't been 100% recently, they'd admitted that to themselves and to each other, but it wasn't at a point where the kids needed to be worried.

"I think that maybe the two of us need to find a little more time for each other but we are never going to end up like Jenna and Kelly, okay? We love each other way too much to even think about breaking up!" Stef continued, reassuring the kids as much as herself. She knew that she needed to find more time for Lena, but with work and kids, it was impossible to find the time.

"We can help more around the house, and y'know we can work out some time for you two to go out to dinner and stuff. We're the ones taking up all your time so we can make sure you have some more for yourselves," Brandon suggested eagerly.

Nobody batted an eyelid at the promise of extra housework, not even Jesus, which showed them that all of the kids were at least a little worried about their relationship. But this wasn't up to the kids, it wasn't their responsibility and they couldn't let their stability rest on the shoulders of their children.

Stef reached out a hand and took Lena's in her own, holding it as she spoke to the kids.

"You guys don't need to help us out, we are perfectly okay and happy. We can find time, we always have before and we will again, I promise you that. All you guys need to do, is keep up with your schoolwork and your chores, and try to minimise the amount of drama around here." She shot a knowing look at Jesus as she finished.

"We've got Garrett's performance tomorrow so everybody make sure you're home in time for that, okay? And please, come to us if you're concerned about these things," Lena finished confidently.

The kids got out of there pretty fast once the conversation was over, though Callie lingered until she was sure Jude was out of earshot.

"I know that everything's fine and you two are perfectly capable of resolving things for yourselves, you have, like, the strongest relationship I've ever seen. Anyway, I know that me and Jude being here is putting a strain on you so if there's anything I can do like getting a part-time job or something to help out, I'm totally happy to do that. You guys have done a lot for us."

Lena looked almost appalled at the words that Callie spoke, though it was painted on her face as pure shock.

"Honey, you don't owe us anything, okay? You and Jude are here because we want you here, we don't need you giving us money for fostering you, not only because we're happy to have but because the state still gives us money to put towards your wellbeing." Lena stood and opened her arms just a little, offering but not forcing a hug upon the teen though she accepted it gratefully.

Callie drew back after a few seconds and hurried upstairs without another word, leaving Lena and Stef looking at each other with surprise in their eyes and concern in their hearts… _even the kids were worried._


	6. Saturday

Brandon left the building with his father close behind him, following him towards the car where the two of them got in.

"How about an Arby's before I drop you home? My treat, as long as you don't tell Lena because she might kill me," Mike offered as they pulled out of the parking lot and joined the freeway.

"Sure, Dad," Brandon responded, a little harshly though he was consciously trying to forgive his father. Mike had done all he possibly could to make up for being late at this point, and though Brandon hastened to admit, his father rarely let him down like that.

The two of them pulled into the Arby's only a couple of minutes down the street and parked up before heading inside. Mike ordered a regular Buffalo Chicken with a coffee, but Brandon ordered a Meat Mountain, perhaps slightly to spite his father but also because he had been waiting so long this afternoon that he hadn't found time to eat.

They took the window seats that faced the freeway and unwrapped their sandwiches to eat them.

"You know I really am sorry about today, B. I didn't even realise I was tired but obviously last night's shift must have done me in," Mike confessed though Brandon still felt he was being deceived. "I opened a beer since the weather's so nice today and I was gonna watch the game before I came to pick you up, but I must have fallen asleep before the third inning started."

"It's fine, Dad. But I don't know where you're going to find the money for these lessons from, you really didn't have to," Brandon implored as he wolfed down his sandwich.

"Of course I did, Brandon. I'm your father, it's my job to give you the best life has to offer, whether it's top-of-the-line piano lessons or the best secret menu sandwich Arby's has to offer," Mike joked, trying to lighten the mood as he sipped at his coffee.

Looking across at his son, Mike felt a genuine sense of pride though he knew it was more down to Stef and Lena than his own parenting. His son was successful and highly achieving because he had been raised by someone else, and though it disappointed Mike to accept, he had to concede that he was grateful all the same.

Brandon was happily scoffing down his meal, completely oblivious to what Mike was thinking. He had melted cheese drying against the corner of his lip, and he was eating like he hadn't seen food in days.

"Is it cool if I stay at yours tonight? I'll text Mom and make sure it's okay with her, it's just that Callie told me Mariana went to a party and I'm too tired to deal with the arguing right now," Brandon asked, covering his mouth though he didn't wait to swallow before he spoke. "Mom won't mind as long as I call her to talk about Marshall quickly."

"Of course, B. You know that you're always welcome at my place, anytime."

The two of them finished their sandwiches before heading out and making their way to their car, Brandon slipping into the passenger seat easily with his soda still in his hand.

Ten minutes later, after a car journey and a quick phone call to a very excited Stef and Lena, the two walked through Mike's front door. Brandon caught sight of the six-pack on the coffee table – two cans missing and a third stood open – but veered quickly into the spare bedroom in order to prevent his father's embarrassment.

"I think I'm gonna grab a shower then turn in for the night, I know it's barely 7 but I'm really tired," Brandon explained.

"Sure, B. I'm only on the couch if you need anything."

The teenager slipped into the bathroom, locking the door behind him and turning on the shower to fill the room with steam. Under the heat of the water, he washed off his stressful day and lost track of the time.

When he left the bathroom, wrapped in a towel, he made his way to the spare room where he prepared for bed, throwing on one of the spare t-shirts that filled the chest of drawers before turning off the light.

As he stared at the ceiling in the darkness, he thought of his father and of the slippery slope he had watched his father glide down ever since the divorce when he was 5. It had never been entirely clear what was wrong with him, but he knew it was something to do with the drinking and he knew that it wasn't his father's fault. That was all that mattered to him, that his father wasn't to blame.

On the other side of the wall, Mike was checking the news on his phone and wondering how he was going to come up with the money for Brandon's piano lessons. He would figure it out, for Brandon, because his boy deserved nothing less. But the taste of stale beer that lingered in the back of his throat and the craving that he had for it, even now, threatened his ability to fulfil his promise.

He didn't have a problem, because problems demanded to be faced and he had gone more than a decade without even acknowledging it. And he cared about something more than alcohol, he cared about the wellbeing of his son.


	7. The Fallout

**[TW: Mention of rape]**

"No, you can stay," Callie offered to Brandon, sitting herself down as Stef shifted herself so that she was sat upright.

"What's up, Cal?" Stef questioned worriedly, placing her wine glass on the coffee table.

"There was a home, our fourth one, before we came here. It was a pretty good situation, the best we had up until you guys, and we were safe for once. It was a mother and a father and their son, he was 19, already graduated but he still lived at home, and…his name was Liam," Callie's eyes were vacant, trying to avoid eye contact as best she could. "From the day we arrived, he was nice to me. I was used to Jude being the favourite because he was younger and cuter, so I liked the attention for quite some time. But at some point, I don't remember when, it became less brotherly…he'd kiss me when his parents weren't looking, and one night he persuaded his parents to take Jude out to see a movie so it was just us. I told him that I didn't want to but he came into my room and he…he forced himself on me."

"Oh, baby," Stef uttered with teary eyes but she was stopped short by Callie, still stern faced as she spoke.

"That isn't the point, there's a reason that I'm telling you. There's a girl in group therapy who's staying with the same family, she's only 14 and it's happening to her. I can't let it happen to somebody else so can you guys like, call CPS or Bill or somebody, I don't know what you can do but you need to get her out of there,"

Callie felt Brandon squeeze her shoulder gently before stepping out of the room, leaving her alone with her foster parents.

"We'll do what we can to help this girl, of course we will, we'll get her out of there, don't worry yourself about that. But, honey, you need to talk to us about this…or to somebody at least." Lena's words were confident and bold, she seemed more certain than she normally tended to be.

The two women rose from the sofa and rounded the table to take a seat on either side of Callie. Lena reached down to take a hold of her hand, feeling the girl squeeze it in gratitude while Stef simply dropped her head to rest on Callie's shoulder in dismay.

"I understand if the both of you want me to find a new placement now, but please, could you keep Jude until something permanent comes along for him. I can survive the system alone, I know I can but I don't know if he would handle it so please could-"

"Callie, we are not sending you away for this. I can't imagine how you thought we might blame you for this but this is not your fault, you know that, right?" Stef interrupted sharply, snapping her head up to face the teen with fearful eyes.

"I know that now, I didn't at the time," Callie admitted softly, biting back tears that she would not let fall. "But I know this isn't something you have the time to handle, as soon as she's out of there, that's it for you but I have to report it, which means I'll probably have to take it to court if I want to make sure they never end up with another little girl living there."

"We are going to see you through this, Callie. Have faith in the fact that we are not going to let you go through this alone, okay?" Lena interjected, promise in her voice that Callie truly believed. "Does Jude know about this?"

"He doesn't know the details, he knows that Liam hurt me and he knows that we had to leave because of what he did. Beyond that, I never want him to find out," Callie explained easily, never failing to protect her brother from the horrors she had lived through. "I don't know what I'll be expected to do, but I'm willing to do it if it means that Sarah's safe."

Lena could hold back no longer, she wrapped the girl in a tight hug and honestly, she had never appeared this small before. Beneath her clothes, Lena could practically feel the bones of her, fragile as she was, a little girl who had seen the very worst the world had to offer. If she wasn't sure of it before, she was sure of it now, she wasn't going to let these kids go anywhere.

At first, Callie remained static, unmoving as Lena clung to her, but then she loosened against her and wrapped her arms around her foster mother's torso snugly. Even if her world was going to fall apart tomorrow, she felt safer in that moment than she had felt in her entire life.

"I know this is going to be so hard for you, but we're gonna be here, every step of the way, sweets," Stef promised, words hollowed out with shock and heartbreak for the girl she had come to care for so deeply.

They sat in silence like that for a long time, before Callie excused herself to shower before bed. She had composed herself well, not a tear against her cheeks as she hurried up the stairs and away from the concerned gaze of her guardians.

"Our baby was raped, Lena. No wonder she keeps her walls so high, she's had them completely broken down by somebody that trusted." Stef, somewhat uncharacteristically, seemed more emotionally charged than Lena in that moment, where Lena wrapped her lover in her arms and held her together while she let the pain seep out of her quietly. "What are we going to do?"

"We're going to help her." Lena answered confidently, without doubt.


	8. Clean

"Lena," Jude began as he entered the kitchen, reluctant as he seemed.

"Hey buddy, what's up?" Lena greeted with a smile as she started washing the dishes.

Jude approached her, picking up the cloth from the draining board in an attempt to help out. Gratefully, Lena smiled at him and started to wash the plate in her hand.

"So, Connor invited me to stay at his house on Saturday night and I was wondering if that's okay with you?" The boy asked timidly, unsure of how his foster mother would respond. "I thought I'd ask now so that I can let him know."

"Well, you'll have to let me double check with Stef but that should be fine, bud. Are you guys planning anything exciting or just a night in with his video games?" She enquired casually, making conversation as she handed him the first dish and started on another as he dried it.

Jude pondered his answer for a moment, drying the plate in his hands for far longer than necessary before placing it down and reaching for the next one.

"I don't know, he didn't really say so I guess so. I've never been to a sleepover before, I never really stayed in one place long enough to make any friends before here," Jude admitted, unafraid to confess his difficult past to Lena now. "Connor's a really nice guy, he's the first person who ever went out of his way to get to know me."

Almost proud of him for making a friend, Lena grinned broadly as she wiped down the casserole dish and passed it over to a prepared Jude.

The two stood in a comfortable silence as they completed the dishes, neither of them sure where to take the conversation from there. Eventually the sink was empty and the clean dishes were piled on the counter.

"Why don't you go and get started on your homework? I've got these covered," Lena suggested, carrying the stack of plates to their designated cupboard. "And honey, Connor's lucky to have such a good friend as you, okay?"

Jude, already halfway to the stairs, turned with a grin on his face and nodded happily.

She watched as he hurried up the stairs and couldn't remember not wanting him to stay with them forever, her and Stef hadn't really breached the topic yet though they were both somewhat aware that they were on the same wavelength. It was just going to take the right moment to make one of them say something.

As she dried off her hands, she walked through to the living room and dropped down onto the sofa next to her partner.

"Jude wants to stay at Connor's tomorrow night, I said it was alright since everyone else is out of the house and it's a weekend. I'll check in with Connor's Dad as you've got no objections," Lena summarised as she curled her feet up underneath her and tried to identify which episode of Friends happened to be on the TV.

"Sure, love. It's going to end up being just us and Gretchen at this point," Stef teased, though Lena bristled at the thought of it and made a mental note not to let Mariana make any plans for tomorrow night.

Decisively remaining quiet, Lena yawned and leant back into the couch, feeling Stef's arm wind around her shoulders and she smiled instinctively.

"I should go and let Jude know the good news. He'll want to call Connor and tell him, then maybe we can get an early night," Lena offered in a flirtatious tone as she forced herself up from the couch and made for the stairs.

On the landing, Lena could hear that Jude had gone into the girls' bedroom to tell his sister about his plans for the weekend, excited to tell her all about his new friend. She paused before entering, guilt-ridden though curious.

"Jude, you have to stop asking them for things like this, I've told you that before. I know that you trust them, I do too, but soon they're going to get tired of saying yes to everything you ask for. I just don't want you to get upset, okay, bud?" Callie's voice was gentle, not the stern and somewhat parental tone she often used to discipline her brother, rather one filled with concern.

Without hearing another word, Lena knocked on the door to announce her presence before letting herself in. Mariana was in the shower so they had the room to themselves, Lena was pleased of that since this felt like an appropriate time to speak to Callie.

"Bud, there's nothing happening tomorrow so if you want to go and give Connor a call and find out what time he wants me to drop you off," Lena suggested enthusiastically, smirking as the boy hurried out of the room and down the stairs to grab the phone. "You know you don't need to say those things to him here, Callie. I understand that it's been a necessity elsewhere, but you are not in one of those houses now and we will not let you end up in one of them. He doesn't have to be worried anymore, and neither do you."

Callie looked down at her hands guiltily, she and Lena had already had this conversation only a few weeks ago and Lena had ensured her that Jude wouldn't be hurt under their roof. She knew it was true, but she couldn't let go of that last echo of caution that felt as though it might never leave her.

"I know, it's just…habit, I guess." Callie's admission saddened Lena a little, to know that this young girl had been forced through such difficulty that self-defence was a habit for her. "I think he knows that he can talk to you, even if I tell him he should come to me first. His youth means he doesn't have the same degree of worry that I do."

As she left the room, Lena felt her heart tighten in her chest and she knew that she was going to have to talk to Stef soon. She couldn't pretend she was willing to let these two kids go anymore.


	9. Vigil

Callie had come upstairs to change into her pyjamas when she heard Mariana crying in her bedroom. Slipping through the door and pushing it shut behind her, she sat down on the edge of the bed and placed her hand against the small of her foster sister's back.

Mariana was laid down, face buried in her pillow as she tried to get rid of all the guilt she felt.

"I know you're blaming yourself for this, but you shouldn't, okay?" Callie offered quietly.

"Mom literally wouldn't have been there if it wasn't for me! Of course, I'm to blame!" Mariana exclaimed in response, lifting her head to draw a breath before flopping back down.

"Listen to me, there is only one person to blame for this. Nothing matters apart from the fact that a terrible man shot a gun at your Mom, you are not him so this is not on you, okay?" Callie insisted, hand still rubbing Mariana's cotton-clad back soothingly. "It's fine if you don't believe me, but Stef is going to tell you the exact same thing when she wakes up."

Mariana's crying quietened though she continued to sniffle as she readjusted herself on the bed she was sat beside Callie cross-legged.

"Mama blames me, I know she does. I could tell from the second Mike called her that she was never going to look at me the same again," Mariana mumbled sadly, lips puckered. "Not that I hold it against her, even I blame me."

"Mariana, I promise you that Lena is just upset and worried about Stef and that as soon as everything is sorted, she'll talk to you about all of this and things will get back to normal. She loves you, and she knows that you would never do anything to hurt Stef. Come on, I'm making everyone cocoa and we're gonna snuggle up on the sofa since nobody's going to sleep anyway."

"Is Brandon getting down the blow up mattresses?" Mariana questioned, receiving a gentle nod from Callie as she dropped her head against the older girl's shoulder. "He's mad at me too, I know he apologized but it was only because you told him to, he's still angry."

Moving slightly on the bed, Callie wrapped her arms around the girl that she had come to consider a good friend. They had certainly had their differences, but Mariana only ever meant well and it broke Callie's heart to see her beating herself up over this.

Lena was still at the hospital, Jude had arrived home less than an hour ago and he was sat on the sofa playing video games on Callie's phone, and the boys were trying to set up some sort of bedding arrangement in the living room. Everyone knew what they were doing, but Mariana was left wondering where she fit in.

"She's gonna be okay, y'know?" The brunette offered up, an empty promise wrapped in kind intentions that did nothing to calm Mariana's nerves.

"She got shot. She'll never be okay again."

Pulling the smaller girl tight against her, Callie held her snugly there in the knowledge that what Mariana really needed right now was to feel safe. Years in the system hadn't done much, but they had taught her how to make somebody feel safe.

She pressed a kiss against the younger girl's hairline and rubbed her arm reassuringly before drawing back and standing up.

"I'm going to change, and then we are going to go downstairs and try to get some sleep and in the morning, we will wake up, and go to the hospital, and you will see that Stef is entirely okay."

Mariana smiled at the sight of Callie, grabbing her pyjamas from the bottom of her bed and hurrying into the bathroom. She really did think of her as a sister now.

She reached for the teddy bear that hid beneath her pillow, stopping short and instead leaning under her bed to grab the Disney raccoon which her Moms had given her on their first Christmas with them. Drawing in a deep breath, she ran her hands over her cheeks in the hopes of getting rid of some of the redness that would give her away.

Just as she did, Callie re-entered the room clad in pyjamas and a half-hearted smile.

"Cocoa?" The brunette offered warmly as she made for the door, Mariana following closely behind her.

Ten minutes later, the five of them were curled up under a heap of blankets on the living room floor with the TV playing a kids' movie that none of them had heard of with cups of steaming cocoa in their hands.

Nobody really slept that night, though Jesus got a couple of hours that kept everybody else awake with his snoring. Mariana laid there in silence, Callie on one side of her and Jesus on the other, and she dwelled on all the things that she could've done differently.

Callie had told her that it wasn't her fault, and she wanted to believe her more than anything, but she couldn't bring herself to. Not yet.

The next morning, when they left for the hospital, Mariana kept a tight hold of Callie's hand all the way to the hospital, and even when they arrived she was reluctant to let go. They were sisters, as far as Mariana was concerned, because only a sibling could make her feel as safe as Callie had last night.

Even amongst the fear of facing her mothers, despite the looming promise of her own criticism, Callie made her feel like nothing was going to go wrong anymore.


	10. I Do

"Stefanie! Where are all these glasses going?" Sharon yelled through the house.

"Leave them, Mom! We'll sort it out later!" Stef shouted back, huffing exasperatedly in response.

The wedding was over and everybody had cleared out for the evening, Sharon was pottering around the garden and trying to tidy everything away while the rest of the family sat in the living room in the bliss of it all.

Stef was sat in the corner with Lena curled up on her lap, nestled snugly against her as they thrived on the feeling of closeness. Jude and Jesus were playing Super Mario, Mariana and Callie chatted eagerly in the corner, and Brandon remained deeply invested in his phone.

"Oh! We haven't given you your present yet!" Mariana exclaimed suddenly, almost as though she had forgotten entirely about it. She hopped up from the couch and grabbed the gift bag which sat upon the window sill and passed it over to her mothers eagerly.

Even Jude and Jesus had paused their game in order to watch the live reaction the gift. It had been a collective effort from all of them, though it was no surprise that Mariana and Jude had ended up completing it almost entirely by themselves.

Lena curiously took the bag from her daughter and pulled out the contents. It was a thick scrapbook that they must have bought from Michaels' and on the front, it was embellished with beautiful font reading ' _The Journey So Far'._

Stef shifted slightly so that she could reach her arm around her wife to flip it open to the first page. It was a badly taken disposable camera photo of the two of them, the night of their second date. Beside it, was stuck the bill from the restaurant where they had eaten that night.

"We had to do a little digging through the memory boxes to find everything we needed." Mariana explained, sitting back down as she watched her mothers flick through years of memories with smiles on their faces.

They paused to laugh at photos from the first time they had tried to bake with Mariana and she had ended up coated in a layer of flour. They held back tears at the sight of the family on the twins' adoption day. They reminisced the memories of the twelve years that had passed.

After about fifteen minutes, they came to the back, where there were two pages left blank.

"I, uh, I took a few photos this afternoon and I was thinking that maybe you'd like to put them in…" Callie offered quietly, eyes firmly fixed on the gift in order to avoid eye contact. "We haven't had time to print them yet though."

"That'd be lovely, Callie," There were only a couple of photos with Callie and Jude in so far, both big group photos from Mariana's Quinceanera, but now that they were staying, it made sense them to be in a few more of them. "This is beautiful, guys. Mama and I love it, and we love all of you, too!"

Callie still had the knowledge in the back of her mind that this was her last night here, but she tried to suppress it in the hope that her final night here might be a good one. It broke her heart to leave, but she couldn't ruin this for Jude, she refused to do that to him when they'd found such a wonderful home.

"Group hug, my babies!" Lena exclaimed as she hoped out of Stef's lap, standing and opening her arms wide. The kids all hurried towards her eagerly and soon they were all wrapped around one another snugly. "We love you all so, so much!"

They all drew apart and headed up to their bedrooms to get ready for bed, it had been a long day for everyone and though happy, it had been exhausting. Stef and Lena weren't complaining, they were ready for some time alone.

"We should call Bill tomorrow, organise a meeting so that we can get the ball rolling on the adoption," Stef pondered happily as she slumped back down onto the sofa. "We should try and get things sorted by Christmas."

"That might be the best idea you've ever had," Lena answered as she dropped to sit close beside her wife and grinned, leaning in to kiss her. "But I have a better one."

It was a combination of the adrenaline of the day and the twinkle in Lena's eye that gave Stef momentum to get up so fast. She pulled Lena up from the sofa and threw the woman over her shoulder into a fireman's lift.

Lena squealed in surprise, laughing as Stef made for the stairs and hurried up them, yelling a goodnight to the kids before falling through the master bedroom door and pushing it shut.

Callie was in the bathroom changing but she had heard it; she had heard Lena's laughter filling the rooms of the house and it broke her heart just a little more to know what she was leaving behind. These women who had just shared the happiest day of their life with her, and they were going to wake up to find her gone.

She knew they wouldn't care, they had children who were truly theirs, but it didn't stop her wondering how they might react. They cared about her, she knew that much without a shadow of a doubt anymore; she wouldn't leave Jude with people that she didn't have absolute faith in.

"Callie! How long does it take you to change your clothes? Come on! I need to shower!" Mariana yelled through the bathroom door, shaking Callie from her thoughts as she tugged her t-shirt over her head and moved for the door, rolling her eyes.

It broke her heart to leave this behind.


	11. The Honeymoon

"You're under arrest for shoplifting. You have the right to remain silent, but it may harm your defence if you do not mention something in questioning which you later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence against you."

Callie didn't resist as the police officer put her in cuffs and guided her out of the store and into the back of his patrol car. She did not think twice about giving them her name when she asked, and she did not falter when they asked her if she was guilty.

At the police station, they asked for her details at the desk.

"Callie Quinn Jacob, California. Born July 11, 1997. Serving twelve months probation for criminal damage. I ran away from my foster home, crossed state borders, and stole food from The Liquor Palace." Her tone was monotonous and unfeeling, her words leaving her mouth before she even thought about the consequences. She didn't care anymore.

She was taken to a holding cell and informed that she would be transferred to Chula Vista tomorrow until her hearing.

In the quiet of her cell, all she could hear was the voice of the prison officer on the other end of the phone. Her father had given up on her…of course he had, everybody did. Even Jude thought she wasn't worth his time anymore and he was right; they were all right, because all she ever did was ruin things for herself and everybody around her.

"Hey, Jacob," a guard called through the cell door. "You want your phone call now?"

Callie shook her head absentmindedly. Who would she call anyway? The Adams Foster family would be furious and probably never want to speak to her again, Wyatt had turned her over to her foster parents despite the fact she trusted him, she had nobody to turn to.

She didn't sleep that night, she just sat in the corner of her cell and wondered where she had gone wrong this time. Of course, she already knew, it was the moment she started to let herself trust Brandon. It wasn't even about him, she just wanted to prove to herself that she wasn't the problem and that every boy she ever thought of attractive wasn't going to hurt her.

There were no windows in the room, so there was no concept of time while she waited for the morning to come. All Callie wanted was for things to be sorted out, whether that meant another stint in juvie or staying in a group home until she aged out of the system, she just wanted to have an idea of what was going to happen.

"Time to move, kid. Your social worker is meeting you at twelve so you need to leave. There's a squad car waiting outside." Without a word, Callie rose and stood at the cell door as it was unlocked, hands held out in front of her, ready to be cuffed again.

It was relatively silent in the car, the officer driving her tried to strike up a conversation but she wasn't in the mood to talk so instead she watched out of the window as they drove down the highway.

24 hours ago, she had been driving these same roads with Wyatt, running away from everything she had built for herself in the past few months. Now, she was heading straight back to where she had started with no concern for the consequences of her actions.

When they pulled into Chula Vista, there was a sense of everything coming full circle as the Fosters had taken her from this place and how they were what had driven her back here. She would serve her time, she was happy to do that in the knowledge that Jude was safe and sound, and that he was being loved and looked after.

"Callie, I'm just here to touch base with you and make sure everything's okay. You'll meet your new probation officer tomorrow, okay? I know you probably weren't told that you had a new one but Sandra moved out of the state recently," Bill greeted as she was escorted to the door.

"You want your consult now?" The cop asked him directly, guiding Callie through the door with a tight hold on her upper arms.

"Sure, officer," Bill responded easily as they were taken to an interview suite where Callie was uncuffed. "Okay, Callie. I don't know your motives for doing this yet, we'll get to that afterwards but first things first, I want to establish that I am going to try and make sure you don't end up in juvie. Your foster parents have been contacted and if they are willing to take you back into their home, the judge may have an easy decision to make considering your stability there up until this point."

"You've spoken to them?" Callie interrupted curiously, picking at the nails with her eyes downcast.

"Only briefly, they were relieved to hear you were okay. Depending on how long you're here, I can organise visitation for you, but I managed to get you a hearing for Thursday afternoon so as long as it goes well, you'll be out of here before visits are needed."

The teen nodded in understanding, somewhat impressed with how quickly a court date had been made though she didn't express it. Visits were a no, whether she was going to stay in juvie or be shipped off to a group home, because she couldn't bear to see their faces after all that happened.

She wouldn't go back to the Fosters, not after everything that had happened…she couldn't do that.

"You should go and settle in, you'll meet Ed tomorrow for a pre-trial consultation and we'll see how things go for there, okay? And keep your head down in here, you know how trouble likes to follow you."


	12. House and Home

It was a Tuesday afternoon and the house was quiet, everybody was in their bedrooms getting on with school work while Stef and Lena got on with dinner. Mariana was sat in her room, working on costumes for the play when she was drawn from her needlework.

Poking his head curiously around the bedroom door, Jude caught sight of his sister Mariana. He'd been calling her a sister in his head for a long time now but all of a sudden, he could say it out loud.

"Hi Jude, you alright?" Mariana greeted as she looked up from her work to see him, pausing her sewing for a moment.

"Mm-hm, just seeing what everyone's up to," he uttered awkwardly with a toothy grin. "What's all this for?"

"Drama club is running a play and I am in charge of costumes so I'm just doing a little hemming and tucking of a few pieces before tomorrow," Mariana replied, patting the empty space beside her on the bed and smiling as Jude came to sit there. "You want to help me?"

"I don't really know much about clothes, I mean…I just wear whatever's clean," Jude answered timidly, laughing at the way his sister balked at his statement. "Some of us aren't complete fashionistas, y'know."

The teen rolled her eyes before picking up the skirt she had been stitching and continuing her work. Jude was quiet today, he had been the past few days since Callie had run away but Mariana didn't mind the silence.

"Why do you suddenly care about drama so much? I don't think I've heard you mention it _once_ in the months that I've been staying here," Jude asked curiously as he watched his sister stitch through the cotton pants.

"I don't know, I guess it's something to fill my time with that isn't going to end up causing any more trouble for me. Plus, everyone seems really nice so maybe it's my chance to make some new friends," she explained, her mind wandering slightly to think of Chase.

Jude could already tell that Mariana was thinking about a boy of something, because she got this look in her eye whenever that happened. For someone who'd never had a boyfriend, she really did swoon an awful lot.

"Hey babies, what's going on in here?" Lena greeted as she walked into the room, still dressed for work. "Dinner's going to be ready in about half an hour, alright? So, I want everybody's homework done before that if that's any kind of a possibility. Mariana, you better be putting your school work first because you know we will pull you out of this in a hot flash if it starts to affect your grades."

"Don't worry, Mama. I'm on top of things." Mariana's tone was mildly sarcastic; everyone knew that she could hold her grades without thinking twice about it. "And I've got my little helper to make things move faster."

"Jude, have you done all your work already?" Their mother questioned calmly, receiving an eager nod from her son. "Oh, and we heard from Callie's social worker and she's been placed in a group home so we'll find about phone calls and visits for you, okay bud?"

"Is she going to come home?" The shy and saddened enquiry ought to have come from her brother but it was Mariana who spoke the words. "I miss her."

"Oh, my loves," Lena crooned as she sat down on the bed and wrapped an arm around her daughter comfortingly. "The ball's in Callie's court, we want her to come home as soon as she feels ready. With everything that happened though, we thought that it would be best for her to have a little time away from the house to process that, but she knows that her bed is here waiting for her."

"What if she doesn't want to come back?" Jude asked in concern, voice hollow with worry.

Reaching across Mariana's lap, Lena took Jude's hand in her own and squeezed it tight. There was a sad smile on her face even now, she didn't have the answers that they wanted to hear and it broke her heart.

"I don't know, baby, I honestly don't know. We've just got to hope."

Jude was worried for Callie, because she'd spent so long looking after him that she'd forgotten to take her of herself and he was to blame for that. They'd finally found happiness and he'd driven her away from it because he was too scared for himself to even think about his sister. Selfishness and guilt had filled him up and he could barely breathe when he thought about it.

Everybody in the house seemed upset that she was gone, really truly upset, but he felt more than sadness and that was what set him apart from everyone else. Lena and Stef had told him that it wasn't his fault, and he knew that if he ever saw Callie again, she would tell him exactly the same thing but it could never stop him thinking it.

"See you downstairs, sweethearts. It's your favourite; lasagne," Lena finished as she rose from the bed and left the room.

Mariana wrapped her arm around her brother's shoulders to reassure him that things would work out, but neither of them could be certain that it would. But he had a sister to help him through it, even if it wasn't the one that had helped him through just about everything up until this moment in his life.

 _He had a family, whether Callie came home or not._


	13. Things Unsaid

Laid flat on his bed, Jesus was staring at his ceiling and trying to let his anger subside of its own accord before he considered going downstairs. The knock on the door alarmed him, but he assumed it was Jude, being polite at ever.

"What is it?" He called through the door, not moving as it opened and someone walked in. Approaching his side of the room, he came to the sound conclusion that it wasn't Jude. Callie and Brandon could be ruled out, Mariana was at rehearsals, and Lena was giving him time to cool down. _Deduction is an art form._

"Hey kid, pretty gnarly bruise you got there," Stef greeted, sitting at the foot of the bed and patting his calf affectionately. "So, what happened today, bud?"

"Nothing, it's literally a black eye. I'm gonna get roughed up worse than this at meets, is Mama gonna yell at anyone who ever leaves a mark?" Jesus retorted sharply, huffing heavily.

Stef scoffed at him, rolling her eyes as she looked around his room and took note of the mess.

"Of course she is, love. You are our baby; I don't care how big you get, that fact remains true. Whenever Mama or I look at you, we don't see a big fifteen year old who knows how to throw a good right hook, we see our little baby boy who cared about nothing more than his sister and cries when the thunder gets too loud."

"MOM!" Jesus interrupted grumpily as he shifted, pulling himself up so he could lean against his headboard. "I just…the whole reason that I wanted to start wrestling and get off my meds was too fit in a bit more, and to stop being defined by labels or whatever. When your vice principal Mom walks in and yells at your coach, it kind of ruins that."

Stef had picked up the beanie from his bedpost and held it in her hands. They had bought it for his for this thirteenth birthday. In the store, he had said that he wanted it because he was going to be a teenager and teenagers are supposed to be cool and wear beanie hats. He wore it every day of the last 7th grade semester.

"Fitting in is overrated, babe. I know we tell you that being normal is boring and that it isn't something you should try to be, but truly, sweetheart, one day you're going to go off to college and out into the big wide world, and you're going to be so thankful that you weren't _normal_ , because you'll have a proper idea of who you are."

Jesus knew she was right, though he would never admit it. He had watched Brandon fit in so well for so many years, and the only thing that set him apart from the crowd was his piano, and now he was in love with his own sister, so really playing normal didn't work out all that well for him. He had seen Mariana spend years trying to be the pretty, popular girl, but it didn't stop her best friend almost getting deported. He had seen his Moms try to hide their relationship in public enough times to know that normality didn't make you happy.

He sat upright, crossing his legs underneath himself and cracking his knuckles. Stef glared at him critically as if her eyes were yelling _'You're going to get arthritis'_ right at him.

"I wouldn't care so much if I was better at it. Maybe if I actually had a chance against everyone else on the team, it wouldn't bother me so much, coach says I'm doing good but I guess he has to, especially with Mama breathing down his neck." The despondent tone of her son saddened Stef, she had raised her kids to believe they could achieve anything if they worked hard enough and she had convinced herself that they believed it.

"You only started training a week ago. Of course you aren't 100% yet, but you'll get there, bud. If you ever need a training partner to build up some muscle on those twigs o' yours, I'm your gal," Stef offered with a wink, grinning wildly at him.

His Mom had once been a regular gym attendee, but with two extra kids and such an intense day job, she didn't have the time or the energy to go as much anymore. When you're taking down thugs on a daily basis, lifting weights isn't really something you need to do to prove yourself.

"Do you think maybe we could get some weights? I'd do it in the garage or something, I'd make sure it was out of everyone's way so that Mama's didn't have a meltdown about the clutter and whatever. I feel like it'd help me feel a bit more secure in my spot on the team, and I could get Mike to come over sometimes to help me train since he used to wrestle."

Stef arched an eyebrow at him, portraying offence in her expression as she pounced and pinned him down on the bed, beginning to tickle his ribs as he squirmed underneath her, trying to push his way out from under her.

"Who you calling a wrestler now, huh? Huh?" She teased as she continued to terrorise her son before finally releasing him. The pair of them laughed together through laboured breaths, Jesus' face reddening to the shade of his undereye. "Think twice before you count me out of the game, kid."

"Sure, Mom," he joked as he tossed a pillow at her. "When's dinner ready? I'm starved."

"One day, you're gonna go off to college and you're gonna have work and shopping and bills and friends and do you know what will happen? You will think about something other than your stomach for the first time in your life!" Stef joked, standing up to leave the room. "'Bout an hour, bud."

Jesus flopped back onto his bed, grimacing at the way it made his cheek throb.


	14. Family Day

**[TW: Death, I guess?]**

"Come on, Dad. Dad?" Stef called, trying to wake her father. Stopping in her tracks, she held her fingers where they had fallen against his wrist for a moment before pulling back in shock.

Though tears threatened to fall, they did not as she reached into her back pocket for her phone and pulled it out. Her eyes were still on her father as she unlocked her phone, glancing down only to find Lena's number before putting it to her ear and refocusing.

As the tones rang out, she remained looking at Frank with a tense expression. Lena picked up.

"Babe, where'd you go? I'm sorry about what I said earlier, I was just trying to help-"

"Lena, I'm at my Dad's house," Stef stated bluntly, silencing her wife. "He, uh, he's dead. I- I don't know what to do. I need to call an ambulance and let my Mom know but I just-"

She stumbled over her words until eventually she gave up, and Lena knew that no matter what had happened between them, she needed to be there for her wife. Stopping what she was doing, she tried to think strategically but her mind was too clouded.

"Okay, call 911 and follow the ambulance to the hospital in the car. Text me which one it's going to be and I'll get a cab and meet you there. Don't call Sharon, not yet…that can wait a little while," Lena reasoned as she picked up her keys and headed upstairs to find the twins. "I love you, alright?"

"I love you, too." Stef mumbled out before hanging up the phone. Without even looking, she dialled 911 and heard the operator on the other end. "I need an ambulance."

"Okay, ma'am, can you tell me what's happened?"

"My father's dead. 1672 Pringle Street," her words felt empty as she listened to the operator confirm details before dispatching a vehicle.

The blonde moved to sit on the edge of the sofa, eyes still set on her father as she bit back guilt for not having come yesterday or this morning. She knew it would pass, but she had to ride it out first.

"Hello? Is anyone here?" She heard calling through the house and realised she had lost track of time.

"In here!" She responded, loudly as she could though it was barely more than audible. "Which hospital will he be taken to? I need to inform my family."

"UCSD Medical, Ma'am," the paramedic offered as he kneeled in front of Frank's body and checked it for any sign of life.

Stef looked down, texting Lena and feeling a little relieved that it was close to home. There was an irony in the fact that even after everything, the car was the biggest practical issue in that moment.

She didn't pay attention to what they were doing, she just sat there, waiting for them to move him onto a stretcher and carrying him out to the ambulance. Reluctantly, she rose and followed, locking the patio door behind her.

The drive to the hospital was quiet, ridiculously quiet because normally she would listen to the radio when driving alone. The silence felt good though, it held her together as she kept her eyes glued to the back of the ambulance that she knew carried her father's dead body.

After parking her car and heading for the front door, Stef found herself suddenly encompassed in a tight embrace and she might have been shocked if it wasn't for the sense of relief she felt in the familiarity of her wife's hold.

"What happened, love? Are you alright?" Lena questioned worriedly as she drew back to look Stef in the eyes; all she saw there was disparate sadness and it broke her heart.

"I walked in and he was dead, I thought he was asleep," Stef scoffed though there was no humour in her tone. "We, uh, we need to call Mom. If she's coming from the condo then it'll take her a pretty long time."

"I'll sort it, I'll call her, don't worry yourself. Just focus on you, okay?"

The two of them walked inside and asked at the front desk before being seated and told that a doctor would be with them soon to talk.

Lena promised she'd be back in a minute and went off to call Sharon, leaving Stef to people watch as she observed the concerned and crying relatives of patients, waiting for information. She realised that only a few weeks ago, that had been her family, waiting to find out if _she_ was going to be alright.

"Your Mom gets in late tonight, she says to tell you that she loves you." Stef was drawn from her thoughts by the renewed presence of her wife. "I just told the twins I had to go out; I didn't want to leave them worrying and then come home to find five kids in a panic."

Stef didn't reply, she reached across and took Lena's hand in her own in search of comfort, but she didn't speak. She wasn't ready to talk it out, process it, whatever Lena expected her to want to do right now, she just needed a while to pretend that things were still normal before she had to face it.

Lena squeezed her hand reassuringly, and Stef had to fight the momentary urge to pull away, as though accepting support from her wife was somehow disrespecting her father's memory. It hurt her to know that the legacy her father would hold in her heart was one of self-criticism and judgement.

"Frank Cooper?" An approaching doctor called to the room of waiting patients, and Stef and Lena rose instantaneously at the sound of his name, approaching the young man cautiously. "Ms Cooper, I take it?"

"Mrs Adams Foster, but yeah, his daughter," Stef responded, finding the fire deep down in her gut to be just a little defiant. "He's dead, isn't he."

"I'm afraid to say that your father did pass away. It was a heart attack, not uncommon in people his age, especially with high blood pressure. If you want to see him, you can take as long as you need before we move him downstairs." _To the morgue,_ Stef added non-verbally.

Following the doctor, the two women crossed the foyer and entered an exam room, where lying on a gurney, was Frank Cooper.


	15. Padre

Walking inside, Stef and Lena could hear the sound of the piano carrying through the house. They crossed hand-in-hand to the den, where everyone sat around listening to him play.

Callie was sat beside Mike, something that seemed odd considering she'd spent the entire afternoon shadowing Jude protectively.

"You wanna get going then, kid?" Mike asked, glancing across at the teen. "Curfew is 8, right?"

"I, uh, just need to speak to Stef and Lena quickly first…" Callie said softly, rising from where she was sat and catching Stef's eye. "Can we talk?"

Without a word, Stef guided Callie through to the front door with Lena close behind her, the three of them moved to sit on the porch bench.

"So, what's up sweetheart?" Lena opened, curious as to what Callie needed to speak to them about.

"Today made me realise that I've been hiding a lot from you guys, from everybody really, and what you said earlier, Stef, it made me realise that I don't want to be alone, I'm just trying to protect myself from the inevitable…I'm going to talk to Rita about independent living, tell her that isn't what I want." Callie's voice had an air of confidence though it was shaking with every word.

Stef turned her head quickly to face Callie, her eyes brightening as she hoped she wasn't misunderstanding Callie's words.

"I understand if you guys don't want me anymore. After everything that happened with Brandon, and y'know…how much of a mess, I've made, I totally get that. I just, even if it's not with you, I think I need someplace to call home for a while longer."

Lena couldn't believe that even after everything that had gone on, Callie could still doubt how much they wanted her. Everyone under their roof knew just how much Callie meant and how desperately they wanted to keep her.

Callie was picking at her nails, looking down at her hands where they sat in her lap when Stef reached to take a hold of them with her own, forcing Callie to still her movements.

"Baby, we are always going to want you. You are family, and you always will be," Stef promised tenderly, smiling at the way that Callie had moved her hand to intertwine their fingers. "We love you, but you know that you need to start talking to us, okay? No more running away, metaphorically or literally."

Biting her lip, Callie turned to face Lena who had been sat in silence with a vacant smile on her face. Though she knew she was the softer of the two women, Callie had always feared that Lena didn't really love her all that much; not that she blamed her but it just made her feel that her place in the house could never be truly permanent.

It wasn't that Lena didn't show her love, she did. Callie just saw the way she was with the other kids, especially with Jude and it broke her heart a little to know that she would never have that, even if it was her own fault.

"Honey, you are our daughter, whether you decide to live under this roof or tell us you want to move to East Jabipsville," Lena ensured, shifting so that she could face Callie properly. "I know that you and I don't talk all that much, and I know that it's down to me. I just find it hard to get to know you when you have your walls built so high, you are SO much like Mom that it's scary to me, and I know that one day you'll open up to us. But until then, please know that we love you unconditionally, nothing is ever going to change that."

Callie didn't realise she was crying until she tasted the salt of her tears running over her lips. Trying to compose herself, she sniffled and blinked away her tears.

"However, if you want to be a member of this family, there is an initiation test," Stef informed, turning to catch Lena's eye with a wide grin as a concerned Callie looked at her in worry. "MAMA SANDWICH!"

As she was wrapped in two sets of loving arms, she didn't flinch or stiffen or falter as she once might have. She simply beamed at the love she was feeling for these two women who considered a daughter, and for the family inside that considered her their own.

They stayed there for a few minutes before Mike stepped outside onto the porch and found them sat there.

"Hey, it's 7:30 so we need to get going if you want to make curfew, sorry to break up the party," he admitted regrettably, knowing he'd interrupted something important.

"I'm ready to go," Callie confirmed, smiling. "I'll just go say goodnight to everyone."

After making her goodbyes, Callie hugged her mothers and hurried to get into Mike's car. They drove in silence, neither really knowing what to say to the other.

Pulling up at Girls United with seven minutes to spare, Callie thanked Mike for the ride and hurried inside, where she found Rita sat on the sofa with a cup of coffee.

"Hey Cal, how was it today?" Rita greeted, patting the spot beside her as Callie approached her, sitting down. "Everybody okay over there?"

"Yeah, everyone's fine…" The teen answered anxiously, unsure of how to breach the subject of conversation before deciding that blunt was best. "I'm ready to go home."

The words felt honest coming out of her mouth. The Fosters were home, and she didn't want to waste any longer trying to pretend that they weren't when she could accept it and be a whole lot happier for it. _She was ready to go home._


	16. Us Against the World

The entire family aside from Jude were gathered around the kitchen table eating dinner on a Tuesday afternoon. Mariana was talking about some drama at school that nobody really seemed to be listening to aside from her mothers who at least feigned interest.

"Um, Stef?" Callie began, swallowing some broccoli down. "I guess it applies to everyone really. It's…it's about Jude's birthday."

"That's not for another three weeks, is it, love? We have time to organise something for him," Lena interjected with a smile, excited to celebrate properly with the new additions for the first time.

"Okay, on Jude's birth certificate, it says his birthday is November 31…but that's wrong. Jude was born at home, and when we went to register at the hospital, they messed it up so it's always been like, our family secret. Ever since Mom died, I'd try and get him a present for his actual birthday so that it didn't go forgotten. It's always been our secret but…we have a family, there's no need for secrets."

"So, when's his actual birthday? How long do we have?" Mariana questioned eagerly, already showing concern for the limited time she had to organise whatever she had in mind.

"November 17th," Callie admitted, smiling warmly around the table.

Mariana was already starting to freak out about she was going to get everything organised by Sunday morning, but she was a determined spirit and she would manage to get it done. Jesus and Brandon were back to chatting about whatever they had been before, obviously unfazed by the declaration.

Stef and Lena, however, were talking quietly between themselves about what they were going to organise. Callie's heart melted at the sight of the two of them, putting thought into what they wanted to do for her little brother; to have other people who loved him as much as she did was all she had ever wanted and now she had that.

"I'm home!" Jude called as she closed the door behind him, hurrying into the kitchen where he found everyone eating dinner. "Connor's Dad dropped me off, how's it going?"

"Pretty good, bud," Callie grinned as the boy swiped a carrot from her plate and bit into it. "How was Connor's?"

Jude dropped his bag to the floor and hopped up onto the vacant chair which was considered his. He had eaten at Connor's only half an hour ago but it didn't stop him reaching for the bread in the middle of the table and started to nibble away at a slice.

"Pretty good, we're almost finished with our science project, and we got to the next level of Star Wars Troopers which has taken us like a week."

The other kids were quiet, fully aware that they were terrible at keeping secrets, _especially_ Mariana. It was only five days though, even she could keep quiet for that long.

"Didn't you already eat, baby? You said you were or I would've made you up a plate," Lena offered gently as she observed the way he scoffed down the bread.

"No, I ate. But there's food that nobody's eating," he pointed out with a toothy grin, and everyone realised just how much sharing a room with Jesus was rubbing off on him.

The seven of them remained at the dinner table until everybody was done eating, chatting about their days casually and trying ardently to avoid the topic of Jude's birthday.

It didn't take long for the kids' to disperse up to their own bedrooms once dishes were gathered and the washing up started. Lena and Stef stood at the sink, washing and drying in the same routine that they did every Tuesday and Saturday night.

"So, what are we going to do for Sunday?" Lena opened, careful not to say the word 'birthday' in case Jude heard them. "There's not much we can organise at such late notice."

"How about the beach? All of the kids love it, and it doesn't cost us anything," Stef suggested, remembering last time they went to the beach as a family and what a good day it had been. "We can do a full birthday breakfast like we normally do, he won't care about having anything big. You know what Jude's like; being the centre of attention is the last thing on his mind."

It was true. Ever since Jude had come into their home, his first priority had been trying to blend in as well as possible, despite how difficult he often found it. Lena understood it, she often felt the same way after spending so long being forced to stand out from the crowd, it was nice to have that opportunity every once in a while.

"I think that's a brilliant idea. We'll run it past Callie, see if she had any thoughts of her own, and make sure Mariana doesn't organise some big expensive surprise party," Lena concluded as she washed the last of the dishes and dried off her hands. "I can't believe we're actually getting a day to celebrate with them."

Callie's birthday had been spent in juvie, and Thanksgiving had been pretty small this year, so it was going to be the first Fosters family celebration since they'd arrived apart from the quinceanera which hadn't exactly involved them. It was an exciting prospect to the both of them, it felt like a real opportunity to cement Callie and Jude into family life, not that they weren't already.

"MOMS!" Mariana called from upstairs, that hint of inspiration in her tone that made Stef and Lena cling protectively to their wallets.


	17. Kids In The Hall

**AN: Leave me reviews and let me know if all of you are enjoying this and whether I should carry on, as well as if you have any ideas for future chapters. I'm enjoying this but if it's not something you guys want to read then I'll start something new.**

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"Mariana, you know you're going to tell me eventually so you may as well get it over with," Lena suggested as she sat beside her daughter in her office. "It's not as bad as you think, whatever it is."

Her daughter glared at her as if to inform her that she had no clue, and Lena had to stop herself from rolling her eyes. The two remained silent for a long minute, each waiting for the other to talk.

"Okay then, Mom's on her way home from work so she's going to pick us up. You're excused from classes and you are not leaving the house until you tell us what happened," the vice principal announced as she looked at her phone and saw a text from Stef saying that she was outside. "We're leaving my car keys in the office for Brandon to drive everyone home, and then we're going to discuss this with Mom."

Still refusing to say a word, Mariana followed reluctantly through the halls of the school and to the office where she listened to her mother make small talk with the receptionist. She wasn't sure how to tell them, in retrospect, it seemed like such a stupid idea but she'd taken it from what she believed to be a reliable source.

Stef greeted the pair of them at the car, kissing Lena casually and greeting her daughter with a wide smile.

The entire drive home, Mariana remained silent, praying that her Mom would get called back to work or something dramatic would happen to distract them and the conversation would never be brought up again. She knew she wasn't that lucky, but she remained hopeful as she stared out of the window and ignored the conversation her mothers were having.

"Love, you know we'll find out somehow. Wouldn't you rather we heard it from you?" Stef's reasoning was just, but it didn't make Mariana any more enthusiastic to tell them what had happened at the cast party. "Why don't we go and sit down in the kitchen to talk about this, hmm?"

Avoidantly, Mariana lingered on the driveway, trying to come up with excuses not to enter the house just yet but knew that she couldn't keep it up forever and eventually gave in.

Following her mothers through the house, she slumped against the side table and hopped onto the stool with a lacklustre effort. Clamping her jaw tightly, she looked down and kept her eyes focused on the pattern in the wood as Stef and Lena settled across from her.

"Wanna tell us what's happening now, sweetheart?" Lena opened calmly, in full knowledge of the fact that by the end of the conversation, it was likely that nobody would be entirely calm.

"It was at the cast party…" Mariana began reluctantly, voice softer than it had been in a long time. "Chase had been flirting with me for a while, and I thought maybe he…y'know, liked me. But at the party, he barely said a word to me, and I didn't know what to do, so I asked a reputable source for some advice…"

"Define reputable." Stef deadpanned.

"It was Talya, but that doesn't matter, anyway…" the teen continued carefully. "She said I needed to show him I was interested, and she told me what I should do."

"How does any of this result in seniors cramming your locker with underwear?" Lena questioned, confused as to how it linked with the issue at hand.

"I tucked my underwear in his pocket." Mariana exclaimed conclusively before slamming her eyes shut and refusing to open them.

"WHAT?!" Stef retorted in alarm as she processed the words that her youngest daughter had spoken.

Lena smacked her lightly to remind her not to overreact, though they were both certain there was no means of overreacting to such an admission.

The conversation was long and agonising for all parties involved, but by the time the kids had arrived home, both Mariana and her Moms were ready to pretend that it had never happened.

"Hey Cals," Lena greeted in the tone she used whenever she was about to breach a difficult subject. "So, about Mariana, you knew…I assume. Just, don't, okay? Don't wanna go into depth on this just, please, don't."

"Oh my God, Lena! Have you met me? Do you really think that's my style?" Callie exclaimed, laughing wildly as Brandon entered the kitchen listlessly. "Now him? He's one to look out for."

Lena rolled her eyes at her elder daughter hurrying off up the stairs, giggling to herself, leaving Brandon stood with confusion painted upon his face.

"Next time you're solicited by a girl as a means of flirtation, please don't let said girl advise your sister on boys." Lena finished sharply before exiting the room and heading out to the backyard to find her wife.

"CALLIE!" Brandon yelled as he hurried up the stairs, dropping his bag onto the floor as he rushed into the girls' room. "What is Mama talking about?"

"Ask Mariana," Callie offered with a smirk as she returned to her work.

He spun around to see his sister, glaring at him meaningfully as if she was trying to bore holes right into him with her eyes. She had her mouth pursed the way she always did when she felt awkward, and she was fiddling with her false nails in an attempt to keep her hands busy.

"Talya told me how she got you to go out with her, and I used the same technique on Chase…Moms found out!" Mariana explained bluntly, evidently blaming him for the lack of classiness his exes had. "You owe me, big time, for the damaging experience I went through because of you."

"Well at least we don't have to worry about Jude just yet." Brandon resolved as he stalked out of the room, unsure of how to go on under this roof.


	18. Escapes and Reversals

**I have two A-Level exams tomorrow and another one Friday, so I'm probably going to update again until at least Friday night, maybe Saturday morning, because I'll probably be offline studying. Wish me luck!**

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Jesus was sat in his bedroom, music blasting full volume in his headphones, trying to process what had happened this afternoon. He felt like he had wanted it, like it had been something that he needed to do because he wasn't happy, but now that it was over and Lexi was going home, he wanted nothing less.

He almost jumped halfway across the room when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"What is it?" He grumbled as he pulled off his headphones and dropped them down onto his desk. It was Mariana, _surprise surprise._

"How are you feeling? I know this is probably getting to you more than you're going to admit," Mariana offered kindly, she could tell when her brother was hurting and she knew that today was one of those days. "I'm here for you, okay?"

"Don't you have to keep Lexi company?" Her brother retorted with a hint of vitriol in his tone, fully aware that he would always come before Lexi. "I'm fine, Mariana."

"Lexi left already, she has a flight booked for tonight to go straight back to Honduras," Mariana explained, reassuring her brother that he wouldn't have to share his house with her for the next week despite everything that had happened. "She did this for you. I know you don't believe that right now, but I think it's what's best for both of you in the long run, even if neither of you could admit it before now."

"I don't think she met another guy in Honduras, for my sake," he reasoned, feeling slightly hypocritical considering how close he had come to doing exactly the same thing. "There's nothing to talk about, Mariana. It's over now, I'll get over it and so will she."

Mariana wrapped her arms around her brother's shoulders, leaning down to rest her chin close to him. Her brother knew that she meant well, truly he did, but he was so guilt-stricken for the e-mail he had sent, paired the with the heartbreak of losing his first love.

"I'm here, okay? Whatever you need," she gently reassured as she squeezed her brother in a tight hug before withdrawing from the room and leaving Jesus alone.

He felt guilty for not talking to her; he'd lost a girlfriend but she'd lost her best friend. They would remain close, he knew that, but it would be difficult if Lexi ever wanted to visit the house again, it would too awkward for either of them to really handle.

Lexi didn't deserve to be forced out of a family which she had spent her entire childhood growing up with because of him, no matter whether she had broken up with him or not. And he hadn't been far behind her, if he hadn't been scared out of it, things could've gone a whole lot differently today.

"Are you okay?" Jude questioned tenuously as he slipped into the room with concern on his face.

"I'm fine, dude. Really, the distance was proving tough for the both of us anyway," Jesus reasoned, turning to face his little brother and seeing the concern in his face. "It's just a girl…I mean, it's Lexi, and I'm upset, but I'll move on. Teenagers are supposed to experience this crap, right?"

"I guess…I remember how hard it was to be away from Callie while she was in juvie, especially not being able to talk to her. I can't imagine what it'd be like to be separated from someone you love who isn't family…I always knew Callie would come back for me as soon as she could, you never had that guarantee from Lexi." There was a softness in Jude's tone, as though he was reminiscing the feelings he had experienced while separated from Callie, in an attempt to empathise with his brother.

"Hey, come here," Jesus beckoned, nudging the bed with his foot as Jude approach, sitting down where Jesus had suggested. "You and Callie aren't gonna be separated again, okay? I know you're both still scared because nothing's official yet, but Moms would never let that happen. Me and Lexi didn't work out, but that was something that will be good for both of us in the long run, the distance showed us that life without each other was okay. When you and Callie were kept apart, it only proved how much you need each other. Neither of you are going anywhere, okay, kid?"

Jude nodded shyly, unaware of how to respond to such meaningful words from his brother. The two had learned to get along pretty well over the past months and could not comfortably have a conversation or play a video game together without it being awkward. Deep conversations still remained an unexplored territory however, so Jude wasn't sure how to react.

Without hesitation, Jesus leant forward and wrapped his younger brother in a bear hug.

"Thank you," Jude whispered, just loud enough for his brother to hear. He drew back from the hug and hurried to grab his math book before leaving the room once again.

Jesus grinned after the boy, remembering when he had been that shy around Brandon in his first few months here. Things had changed so much since those days, and yet sometimes he still felt like that seven-year-old trying to protect his sister from harm.

Lexi was gone, maybe it was his fault or maybe it was hers. But nevertheless, his heart was broken right now, but he knew that in the long run, he would be grateful for it and it would give him greater opportunities for the future. Maybe Emma did have a place in his future, but he knew that whatever happened, he had people to get him through it.


	19. Don't Let Go

It was the night before the Jacobs were due to see their father again, and it was evident to everyone in the house was a little tense about it. Callie, of course, noticed her brother's anxiety the moment she saw him that evening.

"Hey, baby," Callie greeted as she stepped into the boys' room and found her brother, sat on the edge of the bed with the Jacob pocket knife in his hands. "How're you feeling about tomorrow?"

She set herself down at the edge of the bed, instinctively wrapping an arm around his shoulders as she did.

"I know you said he wouldn't try to get us back, but if he did, do you think we should go and live with him?" There was more curiosity in his tone than anything else, as though he was genuinely wondering what his sister thought, rather than what she might do.

"I don't know, buddy. What do you think?"

"Well, I mean…Mama wants this baby so I guess, maybe it'd be easier for everybody if we went and lived with him. We could still come and see everyone and we'd still go to Anchor Beach. It'd probably make more sense," Jude pondered, eyes meeting Callie's with perhaps some concern but no fear like there once had been. "Maybe they'd want us to…"

His sister stood for a moment before dropping down to his height so she could face him directly, an honesty in her eyes that bore straight through him.

"The baby isn't an exchange, Jude. It isn't you _or_ them, it's all of us together. Lena and Stef love us, they want to adopt us, and they would never want you to feel like you should leave to make their lives easier. You hear me?" Callie insisted, catching Jude's face between her hands to maintain eye contact as tears threatened his eyes.

"I know, I just…sometimes I forget that this is forever."

Callie pulled her little brother into a tight hug, fully empathetic to what he was going through considering she had been asking herself the same question only hours ago.

But not Jude…even if she left to make things easier, she would never let Jude do it.

"Why don't we go downstairs? Dinner's going to be ready soon anyway," Callie suggested, seeing the reluctance in Jude's eyes. "We don't have to talk to them about it if you don't want to, I get why you wouldn't want to tell them about your feelings right this second. But I know that even being close to them can make you feel an awful lot better."

Hand-in-hand, the two of them left the bedroom and headed downstairs, where they found Stef sat munching on carrot sticks and Lena working on the vegetables for dinner.

"Hello, my loves!" Stef greeted as they stepped into the kitchen, Callie ushering her brother towards the table before taking her own seat. "What can we do for ya?"

Without hesitation, the blonde reached across to tuck stray hairs behind Callie's ear with a warm smile that reminded Callie of home.

"Both of us finished our homework already and we thought our presence might pressure you to cook faster. I'm starved." Callie deadpanned before reaching across and swiping one of Stef's carrots cheekily. "How was work?"

"Boring. I spent the entire afternoon buried under a pile of paperwork from a raid we did last week," their mother replied casually. "How was school?"

"Boring. I spent the entire _day_ buried under a pile of paperwork called high school!" The teen retorted sarcastically, earning her a glare from Lena who remained quietly stirring the greens. "It was pretty good, I guess."

"We're starting the Native Americans in history, it seems like it's gonna be cool!" Jude interjected happily, his doubts upstairs already forgotten. "I'm gonna work on my research project tomorrow!"

Lena smiled proudly at her son, appreciative of the fact that at least one of her kids didn't hate school despite the fact he sometimes struggled. It was tough for her to watch him struggle because of his childhood, in a stable home, he would've been a straight-A student.

"Donald's gonna be here at 3, okay?"

"We meant to ask you guys about that…" Lena began, drawing the attention of the room with her words. "Do you guys want us to be _here?_ It's a Saturday and Stef's not working, so we'll be around the house anyway, but do you want us to be with you or leave you to yourselves?"

Callie turned to Jude, meeting his eyes as if the two were discussing in their minds. After a few seconds, Callie offered a small smile to her brother before turning.

"I guess we'd like to speak to him alone, but we want you to be there at first. Like, when he arrives, but then like…go to the kitchen or something. Be nearby in case we need you?" The girl's words were reluctant, almost cautious in the way she made suggestions rather than decisions.

It was clear to Callie that Stef was itching to hug her or kiss her or show some form of affection, but they had always been respectful of the fact that her experiences had made Callie less than tactile with pretty much anyone aside from Jude.

Feigning ease, she reached across to Stef's hand where it sat on the table and took it in her own, intertwining their fingers and offering a weak smile to the woman.

In the way that Stef looked at her, with such pride and a hint of gratitude, was home. Nothing Donald could say would ruin that _. She was home._


	20. Metropolis

"Callie, do you have my curling iron?" Mariana yelled from the bathroom as she tried to get ready for the Winter Ball. "I'm trying to get ready!"

"I don't have it!" Her sister replied loudly, trying to do her zipper up.

Mariana poked her head around the bedroom door expectantly, waiting for further explanation from her sister before realising there was none. She rolled her eyes before hurrying over to yank Callie's zipper shut and swiping the flat iron from the foot of Callie's bed in the spirit of compromise.

"Ladies, are we almost ready to go?" Stef questioned as she poked her head through the door and saw Mariana scoff at her. "Taking that as a no, Miss Thang. How long as we gonna need? We don't have all day."

"I just need to put on some mascara and then I am ready to go," Callie offered with a smile as she dropped her phone into her purse.

Mariana spun on her heel and gave the brunette a hard glare which simply said 'no'.

"You have fifteen more minutes ladies, and then we are out of here! With or without you, that car is moving," Stef finished before leaving the room once again.

Dropping onto her bed, Callie sat and watched as her sister speedily twirled strands of hair around the hot iron and let them drop into loose curls. She held back a laugh at the bemused look in Mariana's eyes as one of the curls fell out of place.

"You're on the ballot for queen, you need to look _good_ tonight if you even want a chance at the crown. People vote on how pretty look and how nice you are to everyone. Tonight, you are a social butterfly."

As she finished her hair in record time, Mariana switched off the outlet and crossed the room to sit beside her sister, picking up the small makeup bag and drawing out the contour palette.

They sat there in silence, Mariana shushing Callie every time she opened her mouth to speak as she worked on her masterpiece. Eventually, Stef yelled up the stairs and told them they had sixty seconds to be downstairs.

"You're ready. Let's go!" Mariana grinned as she stood, taking her sister's hand and dragging across the landing and down the stairs. "We're done, Mom!"

Stef rounded the corner and caught sight of the two of them, bringing her hand to cover her mouth in shock.

"Is it that bad? I didn't look in the mirror," Callie deadpanned as she crossed towards the door and poked her head into the living room to see Jesus, sat in his suit and waiting impatiently to leave.

"You two look so beautiful! You all do, my babies are all grown up and going to high school dances. I can't believe it." Stef was choked up, wrapping Mariana in a tight hug as she pressed kisses against her hairline, fighting her daughter's attempts to squirm out of her arms.

Eventually, the latina was released from the hug and drew in a dramatic breath. Jesus stood up and approached the front door, eager to leave in the hopes that he might be able to avoid the issue of having to walk in without a date.

"Ah, ah, ah! Stop right there, young man. Photos before we leave or your Mama will kill me! This cannot go undocumented, it's just a shame that Brandon couldn't be here to get ready with all of you. But you'll see him later, right?" Stef enthused as she drew her phone out of her pocket and started snapping photos of the three of them where they stood by the door.

Mariana was the only one who really posed for them, Jesus remained there impatiently and Callie offered a narrow smile. After at least fifty shots were taken, Stef told them to head out to the car.

She followed them out onto the porch, locking the door behind her and slipping into the driver's seat of the SUV.

"Okay, ground rules for tonight; you know that they are but we'll go over them anyway. No drinking, no fighting, no drama. This is a big night for Mama as well as all of you, especially you, Callie. This might be your chance to get Sanchez to back off a little, but I want all of you to have a good time, yes?" Stef spieled off, as she pulled out of the drive and set off down the road to the school.

"Yes, Mom. I will make sure that Callie dances with at least half of the junior boys, happy?" Mariana teased from the back seat where she continued to fiddle with her curls, stretching to see in the rear view. "And I will make sure Jesus doesn't do anything reckless. Tonight will go smooth as butter, it has to because this is my first proper date with Zac."

"Mariana, there is no way you are getting me to dance with that many people. Sorry to burst your bubble, I will keep to myself and dance with Wyatt once he finishes serving but other than that, the only one who's wearing dancing shoes is you."

Stef glanced over at her eldest daughter and saw so much of herself there; that shyness that she wasn't ready to let go of. In her sons', she tended to recognise her boisterousness so it was a pleasant change.

"Okay, kids. Hop out, have a good night, I've gotta run by the station to get some paperwork but I will be back later on to pick you up! I love you!"

She watched as her kids piled out of the car and smiled warmly at the hurried farewells they made as they rushed inside. Watching them walk away, she realised just how quickly they were all growing up.


	21. Adoption Day

**A/N: Okay, some of you might think it's OOC for Callie to think of Lena this way, but I think that it's plausible for her internally to see herself as 'weaker' because she let her experiences get to her. I think the relationship between Callie and Lena gets sidelined a lot of the time, same with Stef and Jude until quite recently, so I really wanted to do something with it while I had the chance. Let me know what you thought.**

* * *

 _It's still true, you know._ Those words had been ringing in Callie's ears ever since they had left her mouth. She hadn't doubted it, not up until that second but the reassurance had made her question it.

As she'd headed up to bed early, soon after the cutting of the cake, she had hoped to sneak away unnoticed but she didn't have that kind of luck.

"Hey sweetheart," Lena greeted with a sad smile as she emerged from the master bedroom in pyjamas. "You coming back down to watch the movie?"

"I don't think so, I'm kind of tired…long day," Callie answered uncertainly, no means of hiding the despair in her eyes. Normally it was pretty easy with Lena, she didn't recognise her tells as well as Stef might, but it was pretty obvious in that particular moment.

"Honey," Lena crooned softly as she approached her daughter and wrapped her in a tight hug.

It was rare for the two of them to hug for more than a few moments at a time, the two weren't as close as Stef was to their elder daughter, not that Lena found herself resenting it; whatever made Callie feel safe and loved was more than good enough for both her mothers.

Releasing her hold, she drew back and saw the tears that threatened Callie's soft brown eyes.

"Would you…would you sit with me a minute? Before you go down?" Callie asked shyly, so cautious even now of requesting anything at all.

Silently, Lena took her daughter's hand and took a step into the girls' bedroom, crossing to the bed and waiting for Callie to sit down. The girl took a seat at the edge of the bed, hand still in Lena's as her mother sat down beside her, an inch or so between their bodies.

Without a word, Callie dropped her head to rest on Lena's shoulder, shuffling slightly to close the gap between them as she breathed in Lena's scent…the smell that so definitively meant _home._

"I love you, Callie, so so much." Lena whispered into the quiet of the room, eyes focused on their intertwined hands which now sat in her lap. "I don't say that enough."

"Since you asked if you could adopt us, I have never gone a day without hearing those words from either you or Stef, not once…you say it plenty. If anyone needs to up the shows of affection, I think it's me." The teen's tone was matter-of-fact, not apologetic or guilty as it tended to be. "I love you in a way that I've never loved anyone. Not even Stef, or my Mom, or Jude."

Lena's brow creased a little in curiosity though she didn't move or talk, scared to break the moment before she heard her explanation. After a long moment, Callie continued

"Sometimes I get scared to talk to you, maybe that's why I go to Stef more, but I just find myself wanting to protect you. Not in the way that I've always tried to protect Jude from being hurt, but in the sense that I never want to see you hurt because that would hurt me. With Jude, whenever somebody hurts him, I just get angry and defensive, but I think if someone hurt you, it would just break my heart."

It was clear in her voice that she was crying now, not that Lena was going to comment on it. She shifted slightly so that she could face Callie, watching as the girl turned her head to meet Lena's gaze and sniffled hastily.

"Don't ever think you have to protect me, okay? From anything, because I am the Mom here and it is not your job to look after me." As she spoke, her tone remained calm and gentle, unlike the way that Stef responded with such passion it could seem threatening. "I love you so much for the way you want to keep everyone safe from the world, but you don't have to, okay?"

"Your optimism is what got me here. You saw the potential in a beat-up sixteen year old, straight out of juvie because you see the best in the world. Your optimism is what makes you Lena, I don't ever want to see you lose that."

Lena's heart broke at the way that Callie spoke to her; in that reassuring tone she had used at the courthouse with Jude today as she watched her hopes and dreams fall apart. It was the way that she spoke to the kids when they were upset, it was something she associated so closely with motherhood that it seemed unnatural in the body of someone so young.

"I know that you feel you can rely on Stef more with the hard stuff, I understand that and I respect it entirely. I know she's _my_ first port of call when I need strength on my side. You're not going to break me though, Cal', I promise you that."

The expression on her daughter's face as she spoke was one of shock and dismay, not what she had been expecting and apparently it showed on her face as the teen placed her hands on either side of Lena's face and held it fast as she spoke.

"Do not ever think I see Stef as stronger than you, please don't." Callie drew in a quivering breath and swallowed thickly before continuing to speak. "She may be the toughest, and the bravest, and the most daring, but she will never be the strongest. Don't you dare think that, not in my eyes. I…I know that she's who I go to when I want to feel safe or I need reassurance, I admit that, I do, but it's not because I don't see you as strong. Your optimism is proof that you have survived a hell of a lot and not let it get to you, you have not only survived but thrived through countless struggles. You are the strongest person I know, because you never let it get to you."

Lena couldn't help the tear that rolled down her cheek in that moment, suddenly understanding her daughter better than she ever had before. Without reluctance, she swarmed her eldest daughter in a tight hold and kept her there for longer than she thought it possible to keep one person in your arms.

"They're gonna be wondering where you are," Callie breathed out, a gentle inference that she was overwhelmed.

Her mother pulled back and pressed a kiss against her temple before standing, understanding that her daughter couldn't handle affection in large doses. She padded over to the door, turning back to catch Callie's gaze and smiled.

"Love you," She finished before leaving the room and making her way downstairs to join the rest of the family. She was home.


End file.
